Category Archives: Social Justice

A warm, spring sun shone down Monday morning as 70+ people gathered on the corner of 1st Ave N and Republican, across the street from the offices of Howard S. Wright Co., to oppose the King County’s plan to build a new youth jail. To commemorate the start of Passover, as well as Holy Week, anti-racist Jews and Christians came together to participate in a shared ritual and action, expressing both faith traditions’ commitment to racial and social justice. Continue reading Jews, Christians protest new youth jail in Table Turning/Passover Monday→

When it comes to America’s legal system, it has a rather interesting history: Going from grotesque but nonetheless visible executions to traumatic and invisible navigation and punishment. Nearly everything about the judicial and legal system takes place outside of the public eye: legal financial obligations, sentencing, figuring out where to go and what time and if it’s even possible to make it to court while working and with kids, attempting to get an often unaffordable or otherwise overworked lawyer, reliving traumatic events for testimony, the list goes on.Continue reading UW Shooting Victim’s Partner Wants People to Engage Reality→

The outcomes of the recent presidential elections were deeply devastating and many in our communities are still reeling from its shock. Nevertheless, the collective anger we have felt has in one way or another mobilized us – some of us have taken to the streets, and others have set their gaze on city government. At Puget Sound Sage, we believe that the path forward is transformative change at the local level that must be led by people of color. With this vision in mind, we are eager to announce the launch of our 2017 Community Leadership Institute, and we are currently looking for the next round of community leaders to apply (application can be found here). Continue reading Building Capacity for Agents of Change, One Leader at a Time→

I was already going to be late for my morning class at the University of Washington, so I figured I might as well grab a coffee on my way, thinking ten more minutes of tardiness wasn’t going to do much more damage. Walking into my 20 person class unprepared, however, I realized I was wrong. We had guest speakers. Homeless guest speakers. I looked down at my green-labeled coffee and thought, yet again, how privileged I am. That money could’ve gone elsewhere.Continue reading Breaking Down Stigmas On Homelessness One Conversation at a Time→

Sukino Keo, a student at Rainier Beach High School, laid out the need for K-12 Ethnic Studies to the board of the Seattle Public Schools.

“As a school with students of color majority it is important that we see ourselves represented in the materials we learn,” Keo said. “When the only history available for us to learn is of the European and white focuses, we are being told that the histories of our own people do not matter as much.”Continue reading Students Tell Seattle School Board Ethnic Studies Needed→

Last week, Mayor Ed Murrayannounceda $275 million levy to address the city’s homelessness crisis that emphasizes temporary housing vouchers on the private market, rather than more-intensive strategies like service-rich transitional housing, to get people off the streets and on their feet. The levy also funds some mental-health and drug treatment services, which Murray noted are “new lines of business” for the city.Continue reading An Interview With Homelessness Consultant Barb Poppe→